The Most Fun
by ReederJoe
Summary: Phil gives the eulogy at Dan's funeral.
Phil Lester tapped his notes against the podium and cleared his throat. The church was filled with more people than he'd have imagined possible, but he tried not to let the nerves get to him. These would be the most important words he'd ever say.

"Whenever you're ready, Phil," said the minister. Phil turned his head slightly to meet the eyes of the man who'd introduced him just a moment ago. Most of the people in this room knew who he was, but there were some unfamiliar faces in the crowd as well. He wasn't surprised; Dan had made an impact on so many lives.

"I'm not sure where to begin," he started, smoothing the paper out in front of him. He'd written down what he thought he might say, but now he couldn't even look at the words without feeling his throat close up. He forced a breath in and out and tried again. "Dan is- was- a close friend." Already, he was struggling. He cleared his throat once more.

"But that doesn't do him any justice, really. He was my best friend, more so than anyone else I've met in my life." He scanned the room, finding the place where his mum was sat watching him. She gave a small smile of encouragement and he continued.

"I don't want to stand here and make everyone sad by talking about all the things that will never happen again. I want everyone sitting in this room to be happy because they were lucky enough to know a guy like Dan. I want you all to remember all the good times he created for you, all the times he made you laugh."

Everyone was completely silent as they did what Phil was asking of them. A few people let out a chuckle, but there were tears in every pair of eyes facing the front. Nobody wanted to believe that it was over, least of all Phil. He stood behind the podium, staring at the coffin lid. "It's almost funny," he started, barely a whisper. A few people turned their attention back to him, but they wondered if Phil meant to say the words. "We used to joke about this day. He used to tell me that if he died first, I was to play his first video at the funeral so he'd come back to life. He always said he'd dive out the window of a skyscraper in order to avoid hearing it." Nobody knew, but Phil had brought his laptop with him today. He probably wouldn't actually do it, but he couldn't help but feel the urge to pull out the computer and play the video. His eyes went to the spot in the pews where he knew the bag was lying against the side, and he felt a tear boil over. He didn't bother to wipe it away. Nobody would blame him for crying today.

"I'm almost tempted to do it today," Phil continued, looking at the crowd again. "But I won't, because that's a silly thing to do."

"There are too many memories for me to talk about in the time we have today. All I can say is, Dan was the one. He was the one who made me think that I could actually achieve something with my videos. He had some kind of superpower when it came to the fandom we somehow created. I wasn't as popular as him- and I know why- but it didn't even matter. We were two parts of the same whole, and he made it clear to everyone."

He was getting to the end of the speech he'd prepared. He checked his notes and swallowed back a lump. He'd written a few things down that he knew would break him, but it felt important to say them. It was the best way he knew to honor the person Dan had been in his life.

"I know there's so much more in life to discover, but it won't be the same without him here. To be quite honest, I'm not entirely sure what I'm going to do now, but I won't stop doing what we love." He paused to take a deep breath, and then said, "This is the most fun I've ever had." His voice broke on the last word. It was a quote of Dan's from their first video on Phil's channel.

Phil stepped down from the podium and made his way back to his seat. Once he was sat down, he looked over to the casket, taking a shuddering breath. He'd requested a few items to be placed in with Dan, to which his mum had happily obliged. One was a stuffed llama; for some reason, this had always been Dan's favorite animal. Some might think it was childish, but these things would help. The second item was a pair of Polaroid photos taken for the book. They'd always been Dan's favorite shots of the two of them.

As the minister concluded the service, Phil found himself staring at the pair of fabric figures made to look like himself and Dan. Someone had sent them as a gift a couple of years back- he couldn't remember who. They were stood side by side at the head of the casket, a few inches from Dan's head. They'd had goofy smiles stitched on, but it seemed an accurate representation of their personalities. He found himself smiling as he thought of all the things they'd done together. From raising a virtual child to touring the world with a best-selling book, they'd done just about everything possible in the span of a few short years.

He knew nobody would ever be as big a fan as Dan had been, and that was fine. Some things were just too precious to be repeated or mimicked.

It truly was the most fun he'd ever had.


End file.
